First Impressions: Using the Nikon D800

As updates go, the Nikon D800 is a pretty major one. Compared to its predecessor the D700, Nikon's newest DSLR features an impressive set of key specifications, and subtly refined ergonomics, too. After more than three years we expected the D800 to outclass its predecessor, but products don't exist in a vacuum, and it wasn't long after the 12MP D700's announcement that Canon brought out the movie-shooting EOS 5D Mark II.

Not only was the 5D II Canon's first video-equipped DSLR, but at 21MP it offered a class-leading pixel count, effectively equal in resolution to Canon's professional EOS-1 Ds Mark III. The D700 won plaudits for its versatility, low light image quality and 51-point autofocus system, but it couldn't compete with the 5D II on resolution, or of course, video.

The D800 changes all that. Compared to the D700, the D800 is a thoroughly modern camera, boasting a highly advanced feature set for both still and video shooting. At 36.3MP the $3000 D800 comfortably eclipses its competitors in terms of pixel count and makes the $8000 Nikon D3X look distinctly irrelevant, too.

Compared to D700: Specification highlights

36.3MP CMOS sensor (compared to 12.1MP)

15.3MP DX-format capture mode (compared to 5MP)

25MP 1.2x Crop mode

51-point AF system with 15 cross-type sensors, rated to -2EV* (compared to -1EV)

ISO 100-6400 extendable to ISO 25,600 equiv (same as D700)

1080p video at 30, 25 or 24 frames per second, up to 24Mbps, with uncompressed HDMI output and audio monitoring options*

We've had a D800 in the office for a few days, and we've spent that time shooting with the camera not only in our studio but also out in the big, bad 'real world'. We're some way off being able to publish a full review, but I wanted to share with you some first impressions. You've already read our in-depth preview, and you know what the professionals think, but now that we've got a production sample to play with, I want to give you an idea of what the D800 is actually like to use.

Handling

The D700 was a generally pleasant camera to hold and use, and so is the D800. Nikon hasn't made many drastic changes to the handling experience, and those that it has made are broadly in line with Nikon's design philosophy for 2011/12. Gone is the 'traditional' MF/AF-S/AF-C focus mode switch on the lens throat, to be replaced by the same combined MF/AF switch and AF mode button control that we've seen on the D7000 and D4. This updated approach to focus mode selection is nice and neat, because it associates all of the many options with a single physical control point, but as I pointed out in my recent article about the D4, it does make switching between AF-S and AF-C less rapid than it used to be.

In general terms, the D800 handles a lot like the D700 that it replaces. Key controls are in almost exactly the same places, but the D800 does benefit from a redesigned live view control and drive mode dial. The screen has the same 920,000-dot resolulution as the screen used in the D700, but like the D4, it features improved moisture and dust-proofing.

Not only does the drive mode dial lose the D700's 'Lv' position, it also features firm detents, so with the dial unlocked it is possible to tell by feel when you're scrolling through the various positions. This is a small change, but a very welcome one, and one which (with a little practise) makes it possible to switch drive mode with your eye to the viewfinder.

On the D800, just like the D7000 and D4, live view gets a dedicated control on the rear of the camera, with a physical switch for still shooting and movie shooting modes. In movie mode, the framing reflects the 16:9 aspect ratio. You must be in movie shooting live view mode to initiate video recording, via the red button on the camera's top-plate.

Of more signficance to the average D7000 user will be the D800's updated drive mode dial and dedicated live view switch. Live view mode on the D700 was very much a 'first generation' implementation and although effective and useful, setting it via the drive mode dial was a pain, especially if you needed to grab a quick high or low-angle shot.

Improved Automatic ISO Sensitivity Mode

The D800's automatic ISO mode is inherited from the D4 and is improved over the same mode in earlier Nikon DSLRs. Previously, auto ISO customization was minimal, and consisted simply of an option to set the maximum ISO and minimum shutter speed when the camera was used in auto ISO mode. The currently-set ISO counted as the minimum ISO sensitivity (and in fact still does). This system was fine for shooting with a fixed focal length lens, but less useful with zoom lenses, where a 'safe' minimum shutter speed at either end of the focal range might be several stops apart.

In the D4 and D800, Nikon has (at long last) added an 'Auto' option to the minimum shutter speed options, which allows the camera to automatically set the minimum shutter speed based on its knowledge of the focal length that you're working at. This response can be biased in 5 steps, from 'slow' to 'fast' depending on whether you'd like the camera to err on the side of slower or faster shutter speeds. A small change but one that takes Auto ISO a little closer to being the 'set and forget' function that it should have been long ago.

Awesome videos!! Thank you, Barney!! Way better than D4 video... nice resolution, but not so good bit rate... I am afraid 5Dmk3 is in another class on video. Barney, panning shots are a must for video tests - to see the effects of rolling shutter... Please include one ASAP :))

Very useful article but I'd not share complaints about the MF/AF switch no longer having dedicated AF-S and AF-C positions, since the new concept with just AF/MF positions and a button at the center allows the AF mode to be stored in custom memory settings, something which was a small but serious shortcoming on previous Nikons IMO.

Btw. it would be nice if a set of deliberately under- and overexposed RAWs (esp. at low ISO) could be provided for being able to try out the sensor's capabilities regarding highlight recovery and shadow noise.

I agree with the idea of having some over/underexposed shots in the mix.

However, as someone with a D700 and D7000, I completely concur with their assessment of the AF/MF switch--it is indeed slower to use than a simple click switch. And the D800 doesn't have the U1/U2 switch.

I think that hard drive is more important. In Lightroom, you're needing to load those files but also write the preview data into a folder. It's why Lightroom is sometimes laggy and delays when you try to view at 100%.

And of course, exporting files means that you are creating and writing a ton of jpegs, tiffs, psd or whatevers.

Faster hard drive = faster picture editing.

Crucial M3 is a good bet for a main drive. I do all of my picture editing on one. Then a few 2Tb HDDs are storage and backups.

Even if it does you can't let Photoshop use all 8 gigs if that's all the ram you have. You have have some left over for other things. So having more ram would mean Photoshop could actually use the full 8 Gigs. That said I don't know if PS is limited to using 8 gigs or not.

Also really like the 12mp vs 36mp comparisons. I think some will be surprised how tame the difference really is between these resolutions. And will be even less noticeable when comparing 22mp vs 36mp.

I think for 95% of users, 12mp was always more than enough. Where 36mp will come in more useful in the real-world is when cropping. But as those crops show, don't expect a huge difference to your old 12mp sensor (unless you're a pixel-peeper).

I feel the 36mp is actually one of the least interesting things about this camera...looking forward to the review!

Agree. I ordered D800 last week and now waiting shippment arrive. I have a 200mm lens and want to by 300mm as well. Instead I think if I can tune down D800 to DX mode getting 15MP, I'd get 300mm with my 200mm lens... Save money to buy a new lens but get a new D800.. Same with my other lenses, I'd get 2 ranges of focal length for each lens without changing as I did on my D700...

Barney! your advise needed.Normally , when any digital camera or hardware is introduced there are small defects or bugs which are improved with time. My question is =Should I buy D800 now or to wait for improve on bugs?I sold D700 and now need a camera, thus if wait is recomended, then , how long I should wait?I have D300s body and am not desperate to buy but ultimately I have to buy.landscapesofindia.com,birdsofindia.comTHAKUR DALIP SINGH

Good review ! On exposure metering sensor : understand that dpreview have not tested the meter sensor accuracy in the past and I wonder if the D800 provide better i–TTL meter accuracy compare to D700 in real world test. For example, turn-on the build-in flash in command mode then use a SB-900/SB-910/SB-700 in slave mode for off camera flash for the same backlit subject, will D800 provide a better off camera i-TTL flash shooting result than D700 with the significant increase on meter sensor, 1k pixel on D700 vs. the 91k pixel RGB sensor on D800 ?

Thank you for the samples and review! Nice to see Seattle on a sunny day. ;)

I'm still confused by all the comments concerned about the 36mp. If you don't want to use that much you dont! According to the manual gives you three FX RAW sizes! I certainly won't be using the Large size for most of my shooting but probably mostly be shooting at the Medium (20.3 MP). I like having the option however to go full 36MP.

I gotta finally shout this out to all the whiney, geeky, pixel-peeping ninnies out there who love to tout one brand over another and make these photo forums the MOST ANNOYING AND UNINFORMATIVE areas for discourse on the net:

The D800 is sweet. The 5D3 will kick ass too. Your lenses will work beautifully on the D800 and the focus will be sharp--even when wide open. Geeks and pixel peepers will be annoyed by certain things, but clients and family will think you're the second coming of Ansel Adams. Got that?

Again, as someone who has several other hobbies for which I frequent Internet Forums, these photo forums ARE AN EMBARRASSMENT and a turnoff to those who actually want to learn. It's hard to filter out the useful with all the whiney crap posted in between. Police yourselves, please.

Let's get a moderator here to delete annoying comments that have nothing to do with the original post or go off topic.

Actually, his comments do say something about the D800 in the 2nd paragraph up there. And overall, I agree with everything he's saying from start to finish.

The news articles & review articles on this site are very good & informative. Unfortunately, as docfink says, the camera gear forums are mostly a waste of time & space. Too much pixel peeping, measurebating, trolling, flaming & all around childish behavior.

I was thinking I was going to sit out this round - but now that I've seen the actual output and had a chance to play with it, I may actually go for the D800(E). Downsampled to 16MP (which I would want to do anyway, 'cause who needs those honkin' files!), the D800 has virtually identical noise characteristics to the D4 but much better detail retention. So you get the best of both worlds: great high ISO performance when needed, incredible detail when needed, even a good-sized DX crop mode. I like it.

The samples show what we already could have conjectured: under the right conditions - low ISO, perfect exposure, perfect focus, good-quality lens, no camera shake - you get better detail levels with the D800 than with any other 35mm SLR, but it doesn't take much before the tables are turned in the favour of the lower pixel count sensors with their better high ISO capabilities and lower sensitivities to user error.

I am a little bit torn between this and 5D MkIII for my next camera purchase. I would have liked the ultimate quality of those perfectly made photos with top-notch glass and a tripod, yet it would limit me when I often need the higher ISO capabilities of the MkIII for handheld shooting in low-light conditions. And I do prefer Canon's selection of lenses in the focal lengths I require.

Oh, but that extra bit of texture the D800's higher pixel count gives in perfect conditions...

I will still await more and better comparisons, and bide my time a bit longer before deciding.

I was thinking the same thing.... until someone alerted about the Olympus E-M5, albeit not the same class sensor but geeze, $999 sans lens! Old time pro here BTW, so I know what to do with the camera... and my spare change ;)

All true. As a large format user, I can say this is just life when you're dealing with equipment capable of recording very high resolutions. You have to work hard and even get a little lucky to expoit the full capacity of the materials. I'm extremely careful when I shoot 4x5 ... I use a wood tripod that weighs 12lbs, and I focus with a loupe, sometimes spending several minutes getting focus right and waiting for the right lull in the wind, etc... Still, the difference between my sharpest pictures and my average ones is significant. I'd expect somehting like this with the d800, as well. This is not a critique of the camera, just a heads-up to anyone who expects it to have magical powers.

As the best 645 size 80 MPix digital back from Phase One beats all 8x10" films quite easily, this 36 MPix FF camera might be almost as good as 8x10 (with the Very Best lenses, not stopped down to more than f:8). Certainly much more convenient to carry...

Suggestion: on your review samples page http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/reviewsamples/albums/nikon-d800-preview-samples it would be really nice if you could put something more useful than the file name underneath. Like exposure info. Or in a tooltip. Please just give me some way to get aperture and ISO without clicking on the image.

Nearly all modern zoom lenses have VR. By the 1/FL rule, my 70-300mm needs 1/500s when zoomed in on my D90. But VR provides 4 stops relief...I can shoot at 1/60s (3 stops) and get sharp images if the subject matters allows. So why would I want to shoot any faster? 1/60s is about as slow as you can shoot anything alive...any slower really means a tripod. So it doesn't matter if the short zooms don't have VR...the 1/FL rule doesn't provide a fast enough shutter for handheld shots.

The new setting probably for those pro sports shooters who swear VR messes up their shots (though there's no proof) and so turn off the VR. Shooting sports with that 70-200 means you need at least 1/250s for the subject matter regardless of the focal length so I can't even see the need in that circumstance. There's simply no useful reason for a focal-length driven shutter speed on a modern camera with a VR lens.

You might as well argue with a wall. They don't get it, and they never will. The focal length thing is something they saw on a Canon, and they fell in love with it for some reason. Hopefully that mess can be turned off in the D800 and the same auto-ISO we are accustomed to can be used..

high ISO noise on this camera looks like a colorful trash heap compared to the 5D2. There is splotchy chroma noise all over. I like how all the Nikon fanbois are all over the high res sensor when last round they shunned Canon's sensor for high ISO noise. Now the D800 looks worse than the 5D2, and I'm sure the 5D3 will trounce it at high ISO. The D800 will be limited to studio use/controlled lighting environments with what few lenses can handle the 36mp sensor.

I see the resident clown has turned up. What is it about camera brand fanatics? It is quite clear that the D800 is a great camera, even at high ISO. And yet, for some reason people want to have brand wars over it. It is dumb and it makes the people who post these comments look like idiots.

This is not about brand A vs brand B. These are inanimate electronic consumer items. There is no Canon tribe or Nikon tribe.

Sometimes I think the mental age of some people here hovers around the 5 year old level.

Looks like the noise issue is a non-issue but the need for absolute, ultra precise focus requirement makes me think you'll have to be Digilloyd to get everything this sensor can capture. Not that using a tripod, mirror lock and live view is a bad thing, of course.

Then perhaps a D700 at around $2200 is the camera for you. I'm leaning that way but I am waiting until the D400 is released to make a decision... The D800 high pixel count requiring perfect focusing technique at wide apertures gives me pause. As does its price.